“I didn’t kick anybody” and other things you shouldn’t believe….

Now, typically 3M DOESN’T kick anybody, but she has never come running up to inform me of that before. Which led me to believe, smart sleuth that I am, that this was in fact, NOT TRUE.

The teacher said that she did INDEED kick her friend. 3M says no, she didn’t.

I don’t believe her. I believe her teacher.

What, you say? She would come in an lie to you that way?

Absolutely. You know why? Because she is 3 1/2. And kids tell “untruths”. A lot. And as a teacher I know this. Actually, as a PARENT I know this.

Why would a teacher lie about a student kicking another student? What do they have to gain?

Why would a CHILD lie about kicking a friend? Because they would not be able to eat popcorn and watch a movie on Friday night, that is why.

Kids learn pretty early on that if they break a rule they get in trouble. And who wants to get in trouble? So they lie, in hopes their parents will believe them and believe their teacher is evil and trying to take away their popcorn and a movie.

When did parents begin believing their kids over their teachers? When did parents start believing that their kids NEVER lie and ALWAYS tell them the truth?

Soooo, should I believe my daughter when she told me that she and her friends floated up in the sky during recess and hung out with the dinosaurs in the clouds eating ice cream? Because that is the story she is telling and she is not backing down.

The “untruths” are when they actually BELIEVE that what they are telling you is true. For example:

“I’m not jumping on the couch, I’m just bouncing”

“I’m not eating the cake I’m just tasting it”

“I didn’t kick my friend, I just touched him with my foot.”

So I sat down with 3M and told her to make her friend a card to say sorry and include a picture of her and her friends playing nicely together.

She worked very hard, was very focused, and came to show me when she was finished. There were several purple blobs and she told me those were her friends building a castle. There were a couple blue blobs and I asked what her and her friends were doing in that picture.